USS Lexington Fire Sprinkler System

Western States Fire Protection Co. installed a wet pipe fire sprinkler system and stand pipes in the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi, Texas. The project took 120 days to complete and over 400 fire sprinkler heads were installed.

The USS Lexington, a World War II-vintage aircraft carrier, was commissioned in 1943 and set more records than any other carrier in the history of naval aviation. The ship participated in nearly every major operation in the Pacific Theater and spent a total of 21 months in combat. The ship’s planes destroyed 372 enemy aircraft in the air and 475 more on the ground. The ship sank or destroyed 300,000 tons of enemy cargo and damaged an additional 600,000 tons. The ship’s guns shot down 15 planes and assisted in downing five more.

In 1992, the USS Lexington was officially retired and signed over to the city of Corpus Christi to serve as a museum to preserve, for the enjoyment and education of future generations, the nation’s longest serving and most historically significant aircraft carrier.

In the above picture is a silver colored stand pipe on the exterior of the ship. There are hose pipes attached to the standpipe in the event there is a fire on the outside of the ship.

In order to run the fire sprinkler pipes, holes had to be cut in the steel walls throughout the USS Lexington. Due to the historical significance of the ship Western States Fire Protection Co. had to coordinate with museum staff the location of each cut.

A backflow preventer is a double check valve assembly that uses a reduced pressure principle to prevent the backflow of polluted water into the water supply. Often times chemical additives, such as anti-freeze, are in the fire sprinkler system.

Western States Fire Protection Co. is proud to have played a role in making the USS Lexington a safer place to visit. It is a valuable national treasure that played a significant role in the nation’s defense for nearly 50 years and is a memorial worth preserving to help us remember the heroism and sacrifice of those who have served their nation.

Parts of this headline rely on extracts from www.usslexington.com which are reproduced here by permission of The USS Lexington Museum on the Bay.